\u00a0Additional Information<\/h4>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n| 1. Start your assessments by asking patients to rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst possible pain and 0 being no pain.<\/td>\r\n | <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| L:\u00a0Location<\/td>\r\n | Where\u00a0are you feeling pain?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| O: Onset<\/td>\r\n | When did the pain start?\r\n\r\nHow long have you been in pain?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| T: Timing<\/td>\r\n | Is the pain\u00a0constant or intermittent?\r\nHas the intensity changed over time?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| T: Type<\/td>\r\n | What does the pain feel like?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| A: Associated symptoms<\/td>\r\n | Do you have any associated symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, etc.?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| A: Alleviating factors<\/td>\r\n | What makes the pain feel better?\r\nDo you take any medications for this pain? If so, are they effective?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| R: Radiation<\/td>\r\n | Does the pain move anywhere else?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| P: Precipitating event<\/td>\r\n | What was happening when the pain started? What has caused the pain to occur?\r\n\r\nHas this happened before?<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| 2. Provide analgesia as prescribed\u00a0and other comfort measures, such as distraction, massage, and the\u00a0application of warmth or cold, as\u00a0appropriate.<\/td>\r\n | <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| 3. Report and document assessment findings and related health problems according to agency policy.<\/td>\r\n | <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
\r\n| Data source:\u00a0Assessment Skill Checklists, 2014<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n |
![\"Example](\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/clinicalskills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2015\/09\/Pain-scale.jpg\")
<\/a> Figure 2.1 Example of a pain scale[\/caption]\r\n\r\nPain assessment is an ongoing process rather than a single event (see Figure 2.1). A more comprehensive and focused assessment should be performed when someone's pain changes notably from previous findings, because sudden changes may indicate an underlying pathological process (Jarvis, Browne, MacDonald-Jenkins, & Luctkar-Flude, 2014).\r\n\r\nAlways assess pain at the beginning of a physical health\u00a0assessment to determine the patient's comfort level and potential need for pain comfort measures. At any other time you think your patient is in pain, you can use the mnemonic\u00a0LOTTAARP\u00a0(location, onset, timing, type, associated symptoms, alleviating factors, radiation, precipitating event) to help you remember what questions to ask\u00a0your patient. See\u00a0Checklist 14 for the questions to ask and steps to take to assess pain.\r\n![\"Example](\"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/clinicalskills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/82\/2015\/09\/Pain-scale.jpg\")
<\/a>![Children's pain scale<\/a> by\u00a0Robert Weis is used under a](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Children%27s_pain_scale.JPG\"){kind=link}